Stockton officials will be in court next month where a federal bankruptcy judge will determine if the city is eligible for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection from its creditors.U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Klein set aside four days beginning on March 25 for hearings, where the city will have to prove it is insolvent and has negotiated in good faith with a long list of creditors.Creditors opposing the city's bankruptcy filing -- including bond insurers -- argued in federal bankruptcy court that Stockton officials have not made enough cuts.“I am here today to ask for a trial," said Guy Neal, the attorney for Assured Guaranty Corporation.A number of creditors also asked the judge to have a trial to prove Stockton is broke.“We are not just sitting back, saying after eligibility, we’ll do something. We are doing something now,” Stockton attorney Marc Levinson said.Levinson said he is confident the city will prove it is eligible.KCRA 3 asked what would happen if the judge ruled that the city was not eligible for protection.“Then we would have to reload, and the city will be facing debts it can’t afford to pay," Levinson said. "If it could afford to pay debts, we wouldn’t have filed in the first place."Stockton was hit hard by the foreclosure crisis, and lost millions in tax revenue.The city has cut a quarter of its police force and more than $90 million from its budget over three years.The city of nearly 300,000 in California's San Joaquin Valley filed for bankruptcy protection last summer.KCRA 3's Melinda Meza contributed to this report.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Stockton officials will be in court next month where a federal bankruptcy judge will determine if the city is eligible for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection from its creditors.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Klein set aside four days beginning on March 25 for hearings, where the city will have to prove it is insolvent and has negotiated in good faith with a long list of creditors.